The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
During scroll compressor operation, a drive shaft experiences loads from a variety of sources including a compression mechanism being driven, counterweights, and rotor torque, as well as reaction loads from bearings. These loads cause bending of the drive shaft during operation of the compressor. Operating loads in scroll compressors rotate with the drive shaft. As such, the drive shaft typically has a first portion in tension and a second portion in compression during each revolution of the drive shaft. The stress at a specific location may vary, but there is not a reversal of tension and compression. The bending of the drive shaft under load causes shaft ends housed in bearings to cause bearing wear due to an angular orientation within the bearing, which may result in compressor failure. In order to protect against this bending, drive shafts are often constructed with increased diameters to account for high load conditions.